Keeping It Fast and Safe: No Ifs, Ands, or Bots About It!

Collaborative robots (cobots) have gained significant traction in robotics and automation over the past decade, offering the unique advantage of allowing humans and machines to work side by side. However, maintaining safety while achieving high-speed precision has long been a challenge. Traditional cobots often compromise speed to ensure safety, resulting in a lack of efficiency, and in some cases, they still pose a risk of injury to nearby workers. Dobot, a leading global provider of collaborative robots, has addressed these challenges by introducing SafeSkin—a new safety technology. SafeSkin is the industry’s first contactless pre-collision safety system, setting a new standard for safety and performance, allowing manufacturers to harness the full potential of cobots without sacrificing productivity.

The SafeSkin function in full effect. Image used courtesy of Dobot

It’s All About Speed

The reduced speeds of traditional collaborative robots are primarily a safety measure. A cobot's core advantage is its ability to work alongside humans without posing a significant risk of injury. To achieve this, cobots are designed to slow down to around 0.25 m/s in shared workspaces, ensuring that even in contact, the force generated is minimal and unlikely to cause harm. However, in manufacturing environments, where speed and efficiency are crucial to meeting deadlines, this drastic reduction in speed can be a major obstacle to the wider adoption of cobots. The trade-off between safety and productivity has made many industries hesitate to embrace collaborative robots fully.

Dobot’s SafeSkin technology addresses these concerns by allowing cobots to maintain safety without sacrificing performance. With SafeSkin, cobots can operate at speeds of up to 1 m/s—four times faster than the traditional 0.25 m/s standard. This improvement is possible because SafeSkin prevents collisions within 10-20 cm with workers, eliminating the need for the cobot to slow down or minimize damage during impact.

Don’t Interrupt My Robotic Flow

Manufacturers will also appreciate the uninterrupted workflow enabled by SafeSkin technology. Instead of relying on interfaces to restart robotic operations that require training and time, SafeSkin allows Dobot cobots to resume operations automatically once an obstacle is cleared. This feature could be particularly beneficial in scenarios involving robotic and machine interactions.

For instance, imagine a machine-tending application featuring a cobot and a machine with a flip-out interface for operator access. If an operator identifies a product defect and adjusts the machine without closing the interface, a traditional cobot would likely crash into the machine, potentially causing downtime. With SafeSkin, the robot simply stops when the obstacle is detected. The operator can then close the interface, and the robot simply resumes operations.

Safeskin offers an uninterrupted workflow function. Image used courtesy of Dobot

This capability is a significant advantage in manufacturing, where unexpected situations and human errors are common, especially when engineers are new to robotics. SafeSkin minimizes disruptions, reduces risks, and ensures a smoother workflow.

Ease Up; It's Installation Time

SafeSkin is designed as an upgrade feature that can be added to any existing Dobot collaborative robot. This flexibility allows manufacturers to enhance the capabilities of their current cobots without the need for significant changes or additional investments in new equipment.

Another advantage of SafeSkin is its installation process. The system is intentionally designed for ease of use, enabling operators to implement the upgrade quickly and get back to production with minimal downtime. This user-friendly approach ensures that even those with limited robotics expertise can benefit from the enhanced safety and efficiency SafeSkin provides.

SafeSkin represents an advancement in collaborative robot technology, addressing the longstanding trade-off between safety and efficiency. Dobot’s SafeSkin allows manufacturers to maximize productivity within the cobot world while maintaining safety standards.